The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyhe said he is willing to participate in the peace initiative Donald Trump and signaled openness to direct negotiations with Russia.
The statements, made before his meeting at the Munich Security Conference with US Vice President Jd Vance, take place while US, Europe and Ukraine negotiators prepare for conversations between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin about The end of the conflict, which has lasted three years.
“We are ready for negotiations with the US, allies-and after we agree with a position, we will talk to the Russians,” Zelenskiy told reporters on Friday in the Bavaria capital.
Leaders gathered in Munich seek to understand how the Trump administration will conduct negotiations with Putin. Trump wants to quickly end the war, but this may imply forced concessions to Ukraine and exclude Europeans from the process.
Asked about his meeting with Vance, at a time when the US redefines its strategy for the war, Zelenskiy said that “respects our partnership,” but warned that the American presence in Europe is critical to containing the Russian threat.
“Everyone is afraid of being without US support,” said Zelenskiy. “This is not good.”
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Zelenskiy’s team presented proposals to review a plan sketch that would give the US access to Ukrainian minerals in exchange for security guarantees, according to an officer familiar with the negotiations. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent visited Kyiv this week to present a necessary economic partnership agreement to ensure Washington’s continuous support.
However, Europeans have difficulty keeping up with Trump’s team’s rapid positioning changes. Vance told Wall Street Journal that sending American troops to Ukraine, if Moscow does not negotiate in good faith, “is still on the table.”
The statements brought “new elements” to the US position, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Interfax, adding that Moscow expects Washington clarification.
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In Warsaw, US Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, who earlier this week stated that “Ukraine’s ambition to recover all lost territories since 2014 is not realistic,” he said that negotiation parameters are still being defined – and that Europeans will probably participate in conversations.
“Part of the negotiations will include our president, Zelenskiy, Putin – and Europe will probably be involved,” Hegseth said.
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